How to Watch No. 12 Nebraska Basketball at UCLA with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

His name and stats may not pop out on the box score, but the engine that runs the No. 12 Nebraska men's basketball team is Sam Hoiberg.

Shaking the stereotype of just being the coaches' son, Hoiberg showcased on Saturday against USC why the Huskers thrive when he's on the court. Hit with a critical second foul early in the first half, Nebraska struggled for the 11 minutes that their veteran leader sat on the bench. The Trojans took advantage, putting up a 52% field goal mark compared to Nebraska's 35.3 and taking a 36-31 lead into the locker room.

Rested and motivated, Hoiberg made his mark immediately, dropping in a layup to spark a 12-2 run out of the halftime intermission, which eventually led to a commanding 82-67 victory on the road. Hoiberg's stat line was pedestrian — seven points, five rebounds, and two assists, but his scrapiness and playmaking have drawn praise from nearly every Big Ten coach that's faced the Cornhuskers this season.

Not to be outshined, Pryce Sandfort poured in a game-high 32 points to mark his second 30-point game in the last three contests. Freshman Braden Frager was a lethal sidekick with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Rienk Mast added 11 points and six rebounds. Five of which were offensive from Mast, who spearheaded an effort that saw the Huskers collect 18 offensive boards and turn them into 19 second-chance points.

Mounting a three-game win streak in the last week, Nebraska will be challenged to stay consistent as they stick around the Los Angeles area to battle the disgruntled Mick Cronin and UCLA for a late-night conference showdown. Here's all you need to know for the penultimate game of Nebraska's regular season.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 12 Nebraska (25-4, 14-4 B1G) at UCLA (19-10, 11-7 B1G)
When: Tuesday, March 3
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, Calif.
Time: 10 p.m. CST
Watch: FS1
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

UCLA Scout

Head Coach

Mick Cronin | 7th season at UCLA; 23rd as HC
156-74 (.678) at UCLA; 521-245 (.680) Career Record
15x NCAA Tournament Apps., 1x Final Four, 3x Sweet 16
1x Pac-12 regular season (2023), 2x AAC regular season, 2x AAC tournament, 2x OVC tournament, 1x OVC regular season
1x Sports News Coach OTY (2018), 2x Pac-12 Coach OTY, 1x AAC Coach OTY (2014), 1x OVC Coach OTY (2006)
Previous head coach at Cincinnati and Murray State
Previous assistant at Louisville and Cincinnati

2024-2025 Record & Awards

Record: 23-11 (13-7 B1G, T-4th)
Finish: L, 67-58 to Tennessee in NCAA Tournament Round of 32
All-B1G: 1x Third Team, 1x All-Defensive.

All-Time Series

UCLA leads 6-3
Jan. 4, 2025, last matchup, 66-58 NU

Forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) leads UCLA with over 18 points per game after making the All-Big Ten Third Team last season. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Key Returners

Tyler Bilodeau | F | Sr. | Former Oregon State transfer who was named All-Big Ten Third Team last season and has improved his scoring to over 18 points per game as part of another All-Big Ten caliber season.
Eric Dailey Jr. | G/F | Jr. | Another returning starter that's seen his production drop, but the former Oklahoma State transfer still scores over 10 points per game and grabs more than five rebounds a contest.
Skyy Clark | G | Sr. | Returning starter and sharpshooter that's hitting a team-high 48.4% from three and upped his scoring output to over 12 points per game after scoring 8.5 as a junior.
Trent Perry | G | Soph. | A former top-30 recruit, the 6-foot-4 guard saw 32 games off the bench as a freshman before turning into a 12.2-point scorer as a part-time scorer in his sophomore season.

Key Departures

Sebastian Mack | G | Transfer | Playing as the Bruins' sixth man with 9.6 points per game, the Chicago native transferred back to the Midwest and landed at Missouri for his junior campaign.
Kobe Johnson | G | Graduated | A transfer from crosstown rival USC, the Wisconsin native was a Big Ten All-Defensive pick while averaging 7.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Dylan Andrews | G | Transfer | Started in 29 of his 32 appearances as a junior, but transferred down to Boise State for his senior season.
Aday Mara | C | Transfer | 7-foot-3 center off the bench that scored over six points and grabbed four rebounds per game before transferring to Michigan.
Lazar Stefanovic | G | Graduated | The Serbian turned pro after chipping in 4.7 points per game off the bench in his senior season.
William Kyle III | F | Transfer | The Bellevue West graduate former heralded transfer from South Dakota State, saw less than 10 minutes per game in his lone season at UCLA before transferring to Syracuse for his senior season.

Sebastian Mack (12) transferred to Missouri after scoring 9.6 points per game as the sixth man for UCLA last season. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Donovan Dent | G | Sr. | Joined the Bruins after earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors last season at New Mexico and now averages 13.5 points and 7.5 assists per game for UCLA.
Xavier Booker | F/C | Jr. | A limited producer at Michigan State, the 6-foot-11 junior from Indianapolis adds 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in starting 24 of 29 contests this season.
Jamar Brown | G | Gr. | After leading UMKC in scoring (17.0 PPG) last season, the Arizona native plays as a key bench piece for the Bruins with a few points per game.
Steven Jamerson II | F/C | R-Sr. | A forward depth piece for the Bruins, Jamerson II transferred from San Diego, where he averaged eight points and 6.9 across three seasons.

Outlook

Chasing the success that scored him a Final Four appearance in just his second season, followed by Sweet 16 berths in each of the following two seasons, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin has experienced a very turbulent 2025-2026 campaign. After a shocking regression that led to no NCAA Tournament berth in 2023-2024, the Bruins are on track to participate in March Madness in back-to-back seasons. However, the road has been bumpy.

Cronin hasn't shied away from the headlines this year, going viral for ejecting his own player after a flagrant foul, snippy exchanges with journalists, and continued criticism of his team's Big Ten travel schedule. All that aside, there's some reason for Cronin's attitude. Despite losing a pair of starters and a couple of key bench pieces, the Bruins returned a roster flush with talent.

A member of last season's All-Big Ten Third Team, Tyler Bilodeau has improved to score over 18 points per game, while returning starter Skyy Clark has hit over 48% of his threes and scores 12.6 points per contest. Eric Dailey Jr. brings starting experience from last season and has had a solid season despite seeing his scoring drop, but true sophomore Trent Perry now averages over 12 points as a part-time starter after putting up just 3.7 points per game as a true freshman.

Last year's Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent (2) averages 13.5 points and 7.5 assists per game for UCLA. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Plus, Cronin and the Bruins spent good money to bring in quality transfers. That's highlighted by last year's Mountain West Player of the Year, Donovan Dent, who's scoring 13.5 points and dishing out 7.5 assists per game. 6-foot-11 Xavier Booker adds quality minutes as a transfer from Michigan State, while Jamar Brown (UMKC) and Steven Jamerson II (San Diego) provide support as depth pieces.

A team that, on paper, looked as good, if not better, than last year’s squad has struggled to find consistency. Case in point: UCLA’s 95-94 overtime win over Illinois was followed by a 19-point victory over rival USC, only for the Bruins to turn around and drop a 78-73 contest to Minnesota on Saturday in their tune-up before Nebraska. Mick Cronin may have a legitimate gripe about the travel, as his team owns a 3-6 mark on the road compared to a stout 16-1 record at home.

I’m going to continue backing the Huskers to get the win, but this one feels like it will come down to the wire. With UCLA back at home and Nebraska tipping off at 10 p.m. body time, the Bruins will push the Huskers to the limit.